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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lash · tube · squash · band · clip · sharp · net · snap

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. clip — a video
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. squash — to crush
  5. clip — to cut
  6. squash — the sport
  7. net — for catching
  8. tube — a container
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. tube — the underground
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. snap — to click
  14. net — after costs
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. net — in sport
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. band — a ring
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. band — a music group
  21. sharp — clever
  22. clip — for paper
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. sharp — with an edge

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com